Flooding in Bali's Mountain Lake District

Families Evacuate Shores of Bali's Lake Buyan as Water Levels Continue to Rise.

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(4/30/2011)

The village of Pancasari on the shores of Lake Buyan in Buleleng, North Bali, continues to suffer the consequences of rising water levels on the lake with 13 families now having been forced to evacuate their homes to higher and drier ground.

In the two months since February 2011, the waters of Lake Buyan have seen water levels rise between 0.5 and 2 meters. Affected families have taken refuge in the homes of nearby relatives and friends while valuable shore side crops have been destroyed by the rising tide.

Among the most severely affected local residents is Dewa Made Raka, a grade school teacher whose home is now inundated by water that is now chest high.

The rising lake water has also caused losses to strawberry and vegetable crops in Pancasari where once productive fields have turned into lakes of between 4 and 8 meters in depth.

Nyoman Suparta, a local farmer quoted by Beritabali.com said: "Actually I own 10 are (1,000 square meters) of land; all of it now under water. In order to feed my family I have to look for other work as a construction worker."